The Gift of Giving

1. United States demand for food aid has increased by 20 to 40 percent since the summer of 2008.
2. Americans carry $2.56 trillion of consumer debt, up 22% since 2000.
3. Slightly less than half of the organizations evaluated by Charity Navigator have accumulated at least a year’s worth of working capital to fall back on during economic downturns.
4. Approximately 3 billion people worldwide work to live on U.S. $2 per day.
5. 7.6 million American families lived in poverty during 2007.
6. Children are often given gelt (the Yiddish word for money) during Hanukkah so they can donate a portion to charity.
7. Thanksgiving weekend has historically seen more alcohol-related traffic fatalities than any other weekend.
8. Continued relief efforts for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike are expected to cost upwards of $140 million.
9. Hunger is a persistent problem for 4 percent of families living in the U.S.
10. Charitable giving has declined by about 1.3 percent during each of the five most recent national recessions.
11. During the holiday season, our landfills accumulate an extra 1 million tons of household waste per week.
12. Faced with personal economic anxieties during 2001, the most charitable givers (earning upwards of $75,000 annually) reduced their contributions by 33 percent.

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